![]() To some degree now – but even more so, then – Scotch whisky was a very conservative, with a small "c", very male sector and Monkey Shoulder looked at changing that and appealing to a different type of consumer, in different locations, in a different way." Today the brand has global sales of around 400,000 nine-litre cases.ĭoyle is effusive about two of his former bosses. "The idea was to look at Scotch whisky through a different lens. An additional goal was to innovate and grow beyond the traditional Scotch sector, which he did by scaling up Hendrick's Gin and the disruptive blended malt Monkey Shoulder launched four years before he joined the firm. In 2009 Doyle was hired as chief marketing officer at William Grant & Sons, overseeing big global brands such as Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, and Grant's. He later established the firm's global travel retail business in 2006, helping fuel the growth of Dewar's which Bacardi had acquired from Diageo in 1998. Then, after a stint as Bacardi's European regional marketing director, he returned to take up the same role in the UK in 1999, aged 33. One of his early experiences there was the launch and rollout of the pioneering alcopop Bacardi Breeze, which taught him a lot about the need for constant rejuvenation in the sector. He switched to drinks in 1992, joining Bacardi UK as product manager. On graduating from Trinity College, Dublin, he spent several years with Procter & Gamble, looking after brands like Lenor, Ariel and Dreft which, he says: "gave me a great grounding in marketing". If the defensive mindset is maintained, then it will continue to underperform other whisky categories."ĭoyle was born and bred in Bray, a seaside town 12 miles south of Dublin where his parents owned and ran the general store and where Doyle says he fell in love with retail. "I actually think we're at a pivotal moment for the Scotch whisky industry. "I see no reason why it can't do that, but to ensure we can, we have to be more welcoming, inclusive and fun." "Scotch whisky needs to do more to ensure it stays relevant," he continues. They're seen as more accessible, more welcoming, more fun to explore." If you look at the US, Scotch whisky is still very big and important, but it is losing share to Irish and American whiskies which have managed to connect with their target consumers more effectively than Scotch has. "Scotch is a wonderful industry, with some amazing brands, and some incredible people," he says, "but it has work to do. In the process, he feels younger drinkers have been alienated. In Maurice Doyle's view, some of the biggest Scotch brands have been allowed to atrophy through the use of flawed marketing approaches, driven by what he calls a "defensive mindset". But over a virtual 'dram', he shares some concerns for the category's future with Ian Fraser. In a Scotch whisky career spanning Bacardi, William Grant's and now Compass Box, Maurice Doyle is clearly passionate about the spirit.
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